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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. capital — a city
  5. key — the most important part
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. lean — thin
  8. fine — all right
  9. file — a document
  10. key — for a lock
  11. can — a tin
  12. press — a publisher
  13. file — a tool
  14. fine — high quality
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. file — a line of people
  17. key — in music
  18. lean — to bend
  19. press — newspapers
  20. can — a tin
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — money
  23. can — to be able to
  24. press — to push

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com